Relationships 101: Siblings

8:00 AM

Hi Y'all,
Today's post is all about sibling relationships!
I've always been super lucky and my brother and I have always had a good relationship. When I joined a sorority, I instantly gained 140+ new sisters, overnight.     

                           





I like to classify sibling relationships in three different groups:

1. Peaceful. The peaceful sibling relationship is where the siblings don't really fight (the occasional argument is normal). Will willingly talk to each other openly. Value the other siblings.

2. Separate. This relationship is where one sibling pretends the other siblings don't exist.

3. Fighting. These are the siblings that are constantly picking, bickering, etc. at each other.

I'm lucky enough to have a peaceful relationship with my brother. However, many of my friends growing up had the "separate" and "fighting" relationships with their siblings. 

I personally believe there are benefits to having a sibling:
1. You automatically learn how to share. Not only do you share your parents, but you also will often share toys, friends, family members' attention. 

2. You learn to compete. Often times, many kids feel their parents are always forcing their kids to compete. Lines like "your sister did better" or "your brother got an A on his test, why didn't you?" might get used frequently. It's fine that you learn to compete in a healthy environment and in a healthy manner. I was always the "better behaved child" but my brother had far more energy than I ever did (or could ever hope to have). Don't worry, he's calmed down in his old age (of 24).

3. You get money and time saving hand-me-downs. For instance, I didn't have to buy new textbooks for the college classes I took in high school because my brother already had them. I also saved a ton of time with teachers because they often met me before having me in their classes because my brother was older.

Not every sibling relationship is peaceful, and it won't be all of the time, and that's ok! 

with southern grace,
Lindsey

22 comments:

Breakfast at Lillys said...

I didn't have a sibling but I always wanted one.
These are such great lessons that you learned and I can imagine if I had one I'd have pretty similar takeaways.

xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys

Anonymous said...

Haha! Love this post! Very true on the three ways you can describe a relationship with your siblings.

Mikayla | A Seersucker State of Mind.

Unknown said...

I completely relate to this post! My sister and I have gotten exceptionally close since I've been away at college these last 3 years!

Unknown said...

Love this! I love my brother but he can drive me nuts!
www.kayleighskloset.com

Unknown said...

I think I have a combination of all types with my sister... lately, it isn't too peaceful. But hopefully it will be soon!
xo
Lauren
www.thefashionistasdiary.com

Fairy Princess Jord said...

My brother and I are definitely really separate. We love each other but we both just sort of do our own thing and are at really different places in our lives. When we were younger we would vacillate between peaceful and fighting!

angelintheoutfield said...

I definitely think my sister and I are a mix of all three! Haha She went away for college so we're separate now but when we're together it's great until we reach max overload and start fighting. lol But I wouldn't trade her for the world. xx Merisa | Monogrammed Magnolias

Ashley said...

I have three siblings and we are a mix of all of these! Such a great read!

xo Ashley

Annaliese said...

I am an only child, but I can absolutely relate to some of these things when thinking about my own ADPi sisters (and other close friends who have become like siblings!).

Pi love to you!! <>

xoxo A
www.southernbelleintraining.com

Anonymous said...

I really think the pros outweigh the cons with siblings - I dealt with a lot of healthy competition with my brother and we both turned out better for it, I think

Alessandra | blog.pumpup.com

Nicole said...

My brother is my absolute best friend in the world. He and I are extremely close. I would go out of my way to do anything for him!

Nicole // Chronicling Home

Cat said...

Pros definitely outweighs the cons with siblings! I love my brother so much.

Cat
http://classmeetscouture.com

Unknown said...

I can so relate, although my little brother and I have grown apart a bit over the year, our bond is still strong!

Allison said...

My sisters and I fight but only like siblings will--when we aren't looking for a piece of clothing that the other stole, we are peaceful lol

Bramblewood Fashion said...

Me and siblings are definitely best friends now, but we weren't always like that. It took a lot of hard work on our parts to realize that we needed each other and we could becoming life-long friends.

Anonymous said...

So many ups and downs with siblings but its important to learn from them all.

-Morgan
How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com

Anonymous said...

I grew up an only child, but I always wished I grew up with siblings!

xx. Brittany | Southern Soul

Anonymous said...

Love this! My sister and I are friends but we definitely went though the competitive/fighting stage when we were younger.

Seersucker Sass said...

I was an only child for ten years, and it was so lonely! I'm so thankful for my little brother. I constantly tell him how lucky he is to have an older sister who has learned so many things the hard way ;)

XO, SS || Seersucker Sass

Tiffani said...

I was an only child for the first half of my life, so I had no idea what it was really like to be a "sibling" came along! But now I don't think I could ever live without her!

Unknown said...

I think #2 is such a good point. I think growing up with siblings is very beneficial socially because of the competition and having a relationship with your siblings help you learn a lot of lessons.

http://thealwaysblog.com

Unknown said...

I love having a little brother. It has been challenging at times and we definitely have fought a lot but I really value our relationship! We are getting closer now that he is older and I love that!

Kayla | kaylablogs.com

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Reading your comments absolutely make my day, thanks for writing one!
with southern grace,
Lindsey